


Babysitting The Big Bad Wolf

by magicsophicorn



Series: Three's not a crowd (until the Charmings arrive) [8]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Family Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-01
Updated: 2015-10-01
Packaged: 2018-04-24 08:30:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4912441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicsophicorn/pseuds/magicsophicorn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Henry babysits his two little sisters so that his Moms can go out on date night.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Babysitting The Big Bad Wolf

"And you're sure you'll be alright?" Regina asked, her brow creased in worry.

Henry rolled his eyes in a move he'd learned directly from her.

"Yes, Mom, for the hundredth time, we'll be fine. Right chicas?"

Liliana and Isabella both nodded in unison, identical angelic smiles on their faces. This would be a piece of cake, Henry thought, he'd just sit them in front of the TV for thirty minutes or so, then do bath time, and then they'd be in bed and he'd be free to raid to the kitchen and binge on Netflix. Perfect. Visiting home during college vacations was totally worth the inevitable babysitting requests for the food alone.

Regina bent down and kissed the girls' foreheads in turn.

"You two be good for your brother tonight. He's in charge so you will do as he says, do you understand me?"

Her words were met with another chorus of nods, and satisfied that they'd understood, she straightened up.

"Don't let them bully you, kid," Emma said, a knowing smirk on her face that was kind of starting to make him feel a little nervous.

"Please, they're tiny, I think I can take them," he muttered. Both Ruby and Emma barked out a laugh before quickly attempting to stop themselves, which only added to his growing nerves.

Nah, they were just messing with him. His sisters adored him. They'd be fine.

"Don't you three have a reservation to get to?" He prompted. They needed to leave already before they made him any more nervous.

Regina looked like she was about to protest, so Emma and Ruby linked their arms with hers and ushered her out the door.

"Have a good date night!" Henry called out to their retreating backs, "try not to get arrested for public indecency! Again." He muttered the last word to himself as he shut the door.

Turning round he was greeted by two eager little faces.

"Okay," he said, sucking in a deep breath. It was time to get this circus over with. "Who wants to watch some Dora the Explorer?"

\-------------------------------

Flicking the TV over to a kids channel Henry flopped down on to the couch. Isabella immediately climbed on to his lap, Liliana however preferred instead to sit cross-legged on the floor in front of the TV.

As soon as Dora appeared on the screen both girls were hooked. Henry smiled to himself. What did he say, piece of cake. He fished his phone out of his pocket, making Isabella giggle as she was bounced around on his lap. There was a girl in his class he really liked, Beth, and he was pretty sure that if he told her he was babysitting his two little sisters then she'd think he was sensitive and sweet and trustworthy, and those were all things that girls looked for in guys, right?

His text sent, Henry glanced up at the TV. The smile faded from his face when he realised that Liliana was no longer sitting in front of it.

"Bella, where'd your sister go?" he asked quickly. Isabella didn't say a word, just pointed in the direction of the doorway, her eyes never leaving Dora. Henry shifted her off of his lap and on to the couch.

"You stay here and watch Dora, okay? I'm just going to go and find Lili."

Isabella nodded, still unable to tear her eyes away form the TV, and Henry hurried out into the hallway, straining his ears to try to hear any sound that might give him a clue as to Liliana's whereabouts. Nothing. That was not a good sign. When his sisters were quiet it could only mean one thing - they were up to mischief.

Henry rushed from room to room and stopped dead in his tracks when he reached the dining room.

Liliana was stood on a chair, leaning over the table with a paintbrush in her hand. There was paint _everywhere_. She had apparently decided not to use any paper, and was instead painting directly on to the table, and herself. Shit. Mom was going to kill him. How the hell had Liliana managed to paint so much in the time it took to send a text?

"Liliana! What are you doing?"

She looked up at him, a bright smile on her face.

"Painting. Look, I drewed Mal and Lilly. They're breathing fire. Lilly has the same name as me but she can turn into a dragon. I can only turn into a wolf, like Momma, but I'm more little."

Henry dragged his hands over his face in frustration. He'd forgotten how much Liliana loved to talk.

"Liliana that was very naughty," Henry said, trying his best to imitate the tone of voice his Mom had always used whenever he had done something he shouldn't have as a kid, "you don't paint on the table, only on paper!"

Liliana paused her painting and looked up at him thoughtfully.

"I painted on the wall too," she eventually said.

With a sinking feeling Henry looked at the wall behind her and noticed for the first time the bright sloppy stick figures dripping down it.

Oh crap. This night could not possibly get any worse.

\-------------------------------

"Maybe I should text him? Just in case?" Regina said, not for the first time that evening, earning her another eye roll from Emma.

Ruby reached across the table and took Regina's hand, linking their fingers together.

"He'll be fine," she said soothingly, "he's babysat plenty of times before."

Regina's posture relaxed slightly at Ruby's words, and Emma decided she knew just how to relax her further. Slipping her feet out of her heels she began brushing her toes up and down Regina's calf.

"Perhaps after we finish our meals we should head to the restroom, I can think of a good way to distract you from worrying… Right, Rubes?"

The tips of Regina's ears started to tinge pink, making both Emma and Ruby chuckle, they liked to keep score of who could cause that reaction most often.

"Emma, no!" Regina hissed, looking around as if she thought someone was listening to their conversation. Of course no one was. "I will not have a repeat of what happened last time!"

Ruby practically snorted with laughter.

"Oh come on, it was fun!" Emma said, attempting her most charming smile. Her foot was still caressing Regina's leg under the table.

"No, it was humiliating!"

Emma put on a big fake pout.

"Alright fine, how about we just get an enormous dessert to all share instead then?"

\-------------------------------

Henry had just managed to wrestle the paintbrush out of Liliana's hand, covering himself in paint in the process, when little footsteps came thundering into the room.

"Bath time! Bath time! Bath time!" Isabella cried in excitement.

Henry glanced up to see her stood in the doorway, arms in the air, completely naked.

"Bella! Where are your clothes?"

Isabella looked at him as though she thought he was profoundly stupid.

"It bath time. No need clothes," she said, then turned and ran giggling from the room.

Henry sighed, then decided the easiest thing to do to avoid paint getting spread around the house would just be to carry Liliana upstairs. He picked her up under the arms and she kicked her little legs in protest.

"Noooo! I don't want a bath!"

Henry chuckled and hurried up the stairs after Isabella to the bathroom.

"Tough. You're covered in paint, you need a bath."

She kicked the whole way up the stairs but couldn't get free.

"I'm the big bad wolf! Put me down! Or I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down!"

Henry laughed as he finally set her down in the empty bathtub, still in her clothes.

"Who told you that story? Ruby's going to kill them!"

"Will she blow their house down?" Liliana asked eagerly as Henry put the plug in and turned the taps on.

"Probably. Okay, arms up."

He carefully peeled the filthy clothes off of Liliana and dumped them in the sink.

"Bella-bear! Where are you?" Henry yelled, and was answered by the sound of thundering footsteps running into the bathroom.

"In you get," he said as she shut the taps off.

Moments later the front of his pants suddenly got very warm and very wet as Isabella jumped into the bathtub, splashing water over the side.

"Bella!" Henry cried indignantly, causing both little girls to giggle and begin splashing around in earnest.

"Stop! No! Argh!"

He was already thoroughly soaked so he sighed in resignation and began splashing back.

Eventually the water changed colour and Liliana was finally paint free. Henry washed their hair carefully, Isabella hated getting water in her eyes, Liliana on the other hand was practically a mermaid, and then he pulled the plug, to loud groans from both girls. So much for not wanting a bath, he thought.

"Okay, time for pyjamas, then teeth cleaning, then stories, then bed!"

\-------------------------------

The house was quiet when they entered and Regina instantly felt worried. She would have thought that Henry would be in the living room watching Netflix after putting the girls to bed, but there was no sign of him.

Slipping off her shoes and coat Regina hurried upstairs to check on the girls, she could hear Ruby and Emma coming up the stairs behind her, but when she reached their bedroom doorway she stopped in her tracks.

Isabella, Liliana and Henry were all cuddled up together in Liliana's bed, fast asleep. Regina felt her heart melt at the sight.

"I have got to get a picture of this!" She heard Emma whisper at her side, followed by a strangled ' _aaawww_ ' from Ruby.

"Should we wake him?" Ruby whispered.

"No, let him sleep, he probably deserves it," Emma chuckled.

Regina tiptoed over to them, tucking the covers up a bit higher over them and kissing each child on the forehead in turn.

"Why don't we go to bed too?" Emma whispered as Regina closed the door behind her.

"But I'm not tired…" Ruby said, sounding confused.

Emma chuckled.

"Who said anything about sleeping?"

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a prompts from soulofsilence on tumblr.
> 
> Please feel free to send me prompts here or on [my tumblr](http://magicsophicorn.tumblr.com).


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